Garden Organics
Garden Organics, also commonly called Green Waste, means material such
as grass clippings, leaves, flowers, prunings, small branches, and so on.
Will SITA Environmental Solutions accept my garden organics?
We accept garden organics, and process the material into a range of mulches,
soil conditioners and composts for use in the horticultural, agricultural
and urban amenity markets.
Acceptance Criteria
Waste accepted as garden organics includes:
- Grass clippings
- Leaves, weeds, flowers
- Discarded leaf debris and prunings
- Small quantities of fruit and vegetables attached to pruned vines or branches
- Tree branches and logs (less than one metre long and 150mm in diameter)
- Untreated timber, pallets, crates, palings
Waste that is not accepted as garden organics includes:
- Any stained, painted or chemically treated timber or logs
- Building materials, including metals, bricks, concrete and tiles
- Engineered timber such as MDF, plywoods, particle board
- Organic materials, including paper, cardboard, hessian or cloth materials
- Food waste
- Plastic or starch bags or pots
The list of unacceptable materials is not exhaustive. If you are unsure whether or not an item is acceptable as garden organics, contact our customer service staff on 1300 651 116 or check with staff on site.
What is the process involved in recycling garden organics?
We shred, compost and screen it into a range of composts, mulches, garden soils and soil conditioners.
Why do I need to separate my garden organics from other types of waste?
Our chipping and composting equipment can only take clean, organic waste. Materials like plastic, glass, bricks and metal cause contamination which makes it difficult to meet the rigorous product specifications of our end users.
Why is food waste not accepted as part of the green waste process?
Food wastes are unacceptable because of the problems associated with odour, both in the collection bin and when composting. Our sites are not licensed to compost food in open air windrows.
How can I bundle or bag my garden organics?
You can bundle prunings and tree branches with a natural fibre into bundles you can easily lift. Grass clippings and other materials that cannot be bundled should be placed in a reusable container that you can empty at the garden organics area.
What can I do with large tree trunks, stumps and roots?
Large stumps and tree trunks are difficult to process for compost. These are accepted for processing and disposal at Belrose, Chullora, Eastern Creek and Lucas Heights Waste and Recycling Centres.
Why do I pay for garden organics to be processed?
There are significant costs associated with the processing of garden organics. However, WSN Environmental Solutions is able to charge you less for garden organics than general waste, which is buried in a landfill.
Where do I take my garden organics?
All of our waste and recycling centres will accept your garden organics. You will be asked to hand unload your vehicle and place the material in the dedicated garden organics area. Supervisors check to ensure that other types of waste do not contaminate the material.
Why do prices differ at some facilities?
Due to space restrictions at transfer stations, garden organics need to be bulked up and transported to a specialised composting facility for processing. Garden organics cost more to dispose of at transfer stations due to these additional transport and handling costs.
Why are palms and fronds charged at a different rate?
Palms and palm fronds have a very high fibre content, which means they have to be processed several times in order to be used for compost. This extra processing means that the rate for disposing of palms and fronds is higher.
Waste and Recycling Centres that accept garden organics
Some facilities do not have the storage and equipment to process garden organics on site and must transport the waste to specialist composting facilities. For this reason, it is cheaper to dispose of garden organics at sites that store and process green waste on site. These are Chullora, Eastern Creek, Lucas Heights, and Ryde. Our Eastern Creek garden organics waste processing facility alone processes in the order of 50,000 tonnes of green waste and timber per year!
Find out more about garden organics by reading Garden Organics Fact Sheet
What else can I do with my garden organics?
Starting a worm farm or compost bin is a great way to recycle organic material from your garden and kitchen. If you have young children in the house, it can also be a fun project for them to work on with you. For more information about worm farming and composting, contact your local council or visit the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water website.
